Health services to get mandatory licensing system

A MANDATORY licensing system for public and private healthcare services is to be drawn up by the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance, Health Minister, Mary Harney, revealed yesterday.

Ms Harney, who established the commission, said patients were entitled to know that a healthcare service operated to a certain standard.

“At the moment, anyone can open a hospital or health clinic. No licence is needed. This is not appropriate. We need a licensing system,” she stressed.

The commission is chaired by Dr Deirdre Madden, an expert on medical law and ethics, who was also appointed by Ms Harney to complete the report on post mortem practices and organ retention.

Two representatives of patients and carers have been appointed to the new commission. They are Margaret Murphy from Cork and Tiberius Pereira from Dublin.

The commission will report back to Ms Harney within 18 months.

Ms Harney said she wanted to ensure that the highest standards of patient safety and quality care are pursued and implemented rigorously by all working in the health service.

She said the Lourdes Hospital Inquiry, which examined why women had unnecessary hysterectomies, had underlined the need for a broad review of patient safety and quality across Ireland’s health system.

“I am determined that we learn the lessons from instances where patients have been harmed,” she said.

Everything must be done to eliminate, as far as possible, what have been called “system failures”, she said.

In particular, the commission has been asked to develop proposals for greater accountability within the health system and more effective reporting of adverse clinical events and complaints.

The minister also said that the new regulatory system would apply to fertility and plastic surgery clinics.